[FTC]: Easy way to insert tank tread rubbers?

[PhilBot]

Hi

Has anyone found an easy (read... not excruciating) way to insert the rubber treads onto the plastic tank tracks?

We've tried soapy water, pushing, pulling etc. It's still pretty difficult & we've destroyed several treads in the process.

BTW... if you purchased your treads more than a month or so ago, you may have a batch of treads that have a manufacturing defect in many of the pieces.

If you look at the treads from end on, there should be a rectangular hole all the way through the tread. Many of the older treads have a bump of plastic in the middle of the tread that totally prevents you from inserting a rubber insert.

I called PITSCO on this and they said they now have the problem under control, but they sent me a bag of replacement treads. I had to send the old ones back, and in doing so discovered I had 140 BAD treads...!!!!!

Phil.

[Andrew Remmers]

I haven't done to much playing with the rubber inserts, however I think cooling and heating might bring success. Its worth a shot at least. Stick rubber links in the freezer for a night and microwave the plastic for a few seconds when ready to assemble?

Thats what I would try first.

- Andrew

[PAR_WIG1350]

Undiluted dish washing liquid.

[missmurrea]

Dish washing soap with no water added. That's what we used. But it takes a few days to dry, in the mean time, if you try to drive the robot, the rubber parts slip out and they have to keep getting adjusted

[Joachim]

A team I mentored used needle-nose pliers to grab the external part of the inserts along the entire insert length (which is in the direction of the tread width), then "pulled" the inserts into the tread pieces.

[PAR_WIG1350]

Originally Posted by missmurrea

Dish washing soap with no water added. That's what we used. But it takes a few days to dry, in the mean time, if you try to drive the robot, the rubber parts slip out and they have to keep getting adjusted

If you rinse them off with water after the tread pieces are inserted, the residual slip should be reduced or eliminated and the drying time should also be reduced (water evaporates faster).

[VashonRobotics]

We successfully got them in using two people, one pulling with hemostat clamp and the other pushing with fingers all at room temperature and dry. After we got going it took only about 15 seconds per tread. We tried soap and all but I think the hemostats were the key, small enough to clamp yet not so big that it compressed and thereby enlarged the tread when clamping. Anyway worked for us.

[normalmutant]

Soap or pliers or both.

[pbesen]

we tried all the above tricks. The one that worked the best was placing the treads under a hot air popcorn maker (hot air on treads). Not so close that they melt.

After a minute or so, they soften and can be easily inserted (most of them).

[blhenze]

When I examined the track, I found that about half of the track had a small bit of plastic on the inside that kept the rubber tread from being inserted. The good track was sorted from the track that had the extra plastic. We used the good pieces for inserting the tread and the bad pieces as between pieces in the track (every other track piece had an insert). Lego said they would replace the "bad" pieces.

[PhilBot]

Originally Posted by blhenze

When I examined the track, I found that about half of the track had a small bit of plastic on the inside that kept the rubber tread from being inserted. The good track was sorted from the track that had the extra plastic. We used the good pieces for inserting the tread and the bad pieces as between pieces in the track (every other track piece had an insert). Lego said they would replace the "bad" pieces.

Yeah, That was where I kinda started this thread

[PhilBot]

Originally Posted by pbesen

we tried all the above tricks. The one that worked the best was placing the treads under a hot air popcorn maker (hot air on treads). Not so close that they melt.

After a minute or so, they soften and can be easily inserted (most of them).

Just to clarify: Did you hear the black plastic track pieces, or the grey rubber treads...

[French~Fries]

Our team used tank treads last year, and I'm afraid to say that after trying all of the above-mentioned methods, we were reduced to using our teeth. I should also mention that it's best not to put treads in every piece of track. Do every other piece, or even every other two or three.

[PhilBot]

Originally Posted by French~Fries

I should also mention that it's best not to put treads in every piece of track. Do every other piece, or even every other two or three.

What is the reason for not putting tread in every track?

[Garrett.d.w]

While I haven't inserted tread on track feet, I have had the pleasure of inserting aluminum shaft into surgical tubing (for use as tread on our minibot). This sounds similar to your problem (wanting good lubrication, without a long drying time).

What we found works best for anything that requires temporary lubrication is Windex. The cleaning solution lubricates for about a minute before evaporating.